City: Chennai

Just beyond the mad rush of Gemini Circle is a haven of quiet, lending its name to the road it is situated in-the St. George’s Cathedral. Constructed in 1815 at a cost of Rs. 207,000, the Cathedral is the Mother Church of the Diocese of Madras, part of the Church of South India. The Great Choultry Plain Most of what makes up today’s Nungambakkam, Teynampet and Royapettah used to be referred to as the Great Choultry Plain in 18th Century Madras. City chronicler S. Muthiah recounts that once the French lost their grip on the Carnatic after restoring Madras back…

Pillion riders must now wear helmets Under the provisions of the Motor Act 2015, both rider and pillion rider can be booked for not wearing a helmet, however the implementation of this Act has been far from strict. Last week, the TN State Government assured Madras High Court that an awareness drive will be launched through advertisements etc, and the Traffic Police has stated that it will take strict action against violators. It has been highlighted often in studies that not wearing a helmet is the cause of ⅓ fatalities in two-wheeler accidents in the state. The Government had made…

If you are an apartment or home owner in Chennai, you would most likely have received a form for self declaration of Property Tax, from the revenue office of Greater Chennai Corporation. Most home and apartment owners were caught unawares, not only by the requirement itself, as there has been no such form to fill in the past twenty years, but also by the deadline of August 31st to fill and submit it. Here is a quick explainer about the form and its connection with property tax. According to a senior official from Chennai Corporation, there are 12.65 lakh home and…

Tiruvottiyur and Padur, two localities in north and south Chennai respectively, with very different socio-cultural identities, are bound by one thing in common today, something they can truly take pride in.  Both these localities have been able to adhere to and implement the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016  to a large extent.  Private kitchens with neatly displayed posters guiding residents on how to segregate waste into biodegradable, recyclable and reject waste; like-minded enthusiasts campaigning on segregation, and conservancy workers meticulously insisting on segregated waste -- such sights and action are common in Tiruvottiyur and Padur, thanks to the willingness of the people…

The week-long celebration commemorating Madras Day, which falls on August 22, is a fun way to learn about the rich history of the city. A plethora of activities are held over the course of a week (indeed, these days, it is almost a month) that are informative and engaging. The most popular among them are the heritage walks that trace the historical roots of Chennai, formerly Madras. The Dravidian Historical Research Centre organised a Social Justice Heritage Tour led by the editor of Nakheeran Magazine, Govi Lenin. The tour traced the origins of the Dravidian social justice movement in the…

As the city gears up for celebrations of Madras Day (or Week), like every year I go back in my own time machine to reminisce about the city and in particular my locality. Fortunately, I have been living in the same locality - intersection of Anna Nagar West and Villivakkam - since my school days and have seen the rapid development and transformation of both areas. Long before 100 Feet Road became the link to all parts of the city, I remember casually hopping across this road to reach my school. The other prominent road was the New Avadi Road,…

The devastating floods in Kerala have ravaged life in the state, with 223 officially reported deaths and 10.28 lakh people stationed across 3274 relief camps, as shared by the state’s Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. The central government has described such unprecedented nature’s fury in the southern state as a ‘calamity of severe nature’. In what reaffirms faith in humanity, help has been pouring in from all quarters to god’s own country, and people have been pitching in to help the flood-stricken reconstruct their lives. Tamil Nadu shares the Mullaperiyar river with Kerala and has been a party to the century-long rivalry…

Many of us city folks are growing veggies on our terraces and balconies, greening our patch of concrete, staying as eco-positive as we can, but wait a moment… Are we really being gentle on the earth, all the way? Where did it come from – the red soil and the river sand that we use to grow our potted plants? The fact is, the soil and sand would have been mined or smuggled out from a rice field, river bed, forest or countryside, leaving them that much depleted. We do know that sand mining from river beds devastates not just…

Flood-battered Kerala keeps Tamil Nadu on edge With parts of Kerala reeling under water, and some areas completely cut off from normalcy, several residents of Chennai could empathise with the neighbouring state, which is facing a catastrophic situation much like Chennai did in 2015. Voluntary organisations were quick to seek out help and organise relief supplies to affected people. With help coming from many quarters in the form of donations and relief materials, there is now fear for Tamil Nadu as well, as a majority of the dams in the state are full and have already started overflowing. Flood alert…

Tamil Nadu has been a frontrunner in organ donation. Call it the collective effort between hospitals and not-for-profit organisations or the willingness of people, the state has the highest number of organ donors in India. The fact remains though that a majority of citizens are still ignorant about many aspects of donation, leaving a wide gap between organ availability and patients waiting for transplants. The NDTV-Fortis More To Give campaign indicated that an approximate 5 lakh people across the nation die each year, due to non availability of organs. The number reiterates the need to acknowledge citizens who are hesitant…